The United States military announced on Friday that it intercepted and destroyed a vessel suspected of being used for drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific. This operation was conducted in coordination with the Ecuadorian government, marking the first such action between the two allied nations, according to a report published August 29.
The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) stated on social media that the vessel was operating as a floating refueling station in international waters within the eastern Pacific. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel had been previously identified and was subject to sanctions by the Department of the Treasury. The vessel reportedly operated in support of the violent narco-terrorist organization Los Choneros.
Following the interception, the crew was transported to an Ecuadorian port before the vessel was destroyed. Video released by the command shows the vessel exploding. While the crew members brought to the fishing port of Manta denied involvement in drug trafficking, one individual, Darlin Macías, told the press that they were attacked by Americans while out fishing.
The operation occurs as Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa maintains a war against drug trafficking with military support from the United States. Ecuador has joined the Escudo de las Américas, an anti-drug coalition of approximately twenty Latin American and Caribbean countries led by Donald Trump. Separately, Human Rights Watch reported that three vessels were presumably attacked by U.S. forces off the coast of Ecuador between January and March of this year, resulting in at least eight people missing, though Washington has rejected any link to those incidents.
